AI for Legal Secretaries

A Practical Prompt Course for Legal Secretaries

1. The lessons

   1. Draft Legal Documents: Use AI to create first drafts and clean up routine legal documents under attorney review.
   2. Prepare Court Filings: Use AI to organize filing steps, check deadlines, and draft service documents for court submissions.
   3. Track Court Deadlines: Use AI to turn court orders and notices into calendar entries and daily priority briefings.
   4. Organize Case Files: Use AI to index, summarize, and label case documents so files stay orderly and searchable.
   5. Handle Client Correspondence: Use AI to draft clear, professional client messages while keeping the attorney informed and the tone appropriate.
   6. Prepare Meeting Materials: Use AI to assemble agendas, background summaries, and exhibit lists for attorney-client or internal meetings.
   7. Transcribe Legal Dictation: Use AI to clean up dictated text, pull out action items, and turn rough notes into usable documents.
   8. Process Legal Billing: Use AI to draft billing narratives, check time entries, and flag invoice issues for attorney review.
   9. Advanced Filing Support: Use AI to compare court rules, summarize opposing filings, and prepare complex filing support under attorney supervision.
2. What the course covers

   The course walks through the daily tasks a legal secretary handles, from drafting a routine document to preparing a billing narrative. Each lesson gives you a prompt, an example, and a checklist for what to review before the work goes to an attorney.

   Later lessons cover advanced filing support, such as comparing court rules and summarizing opposing filings. You will practice on safe, made-up examples so you never risk real client information.

3. How the lessons connect

   The lessons follow the order of a typical case: draft the document, prepare the filing, track the deadline, organize the file, write to the client, prepare for the meeting, transcribe the notes, and process the bill. Each prompt builds on the one before it, so you learn a full workflow.

   You can also jump to the lesson you need most today. The course is designed to be used as a reference, not just read once.

4. How to use the prompts well

   Good prompts are specific. Instead of asking AI to 'write a letter,' tell it the type of letter, the recipient, the key facts, and the tone you want. Then ask it to list what still needs an attorney's review.

   Always read the output closely. AI can miss a date, confuse a name, or use a phrase your firm would never use. Treat every result as a first draft, not a finished product.

5. Who it is for

   This course is for legal secretaries, legal assistants, and anyone who supports attorneys with documents, filings, and client communication. It works for small firms, large firms, and in-house legal teams.

   No technical background is needed. If you are comfortable with email, Word, and a court's filing website, you are ready.

6. Safety and privacy for this job

   Legal work is built on confidentiality. Never put client names, case numbers, Social Security numbers, or private details into an AI tool that your firm has not approved. Use fake examples or redacted text when you practice.

   Check your firm's policy before using any AI tool for work. When in doubt, ask the attorney you support. The course shows you how to keep client information safe while still getting help with the writing.

7. Your next step

   Start with the first lesson on drafting legal documents. Try the prompt on a simple, non-confidential example, then show the result to your attorney for feedback. Once you are comfortable, move to the next lesson.

   Keep a notebook of prompts that work well for your firm. Over time, you will build a personal toolkit that saves you time every week.